Literary Techniques Used In Night By Elie Wiesel

Pieces of literature have one universal thing in common no matter what form they are written in: a purpose. In Night by Elie Wiesel, several writing techniques are used to communicate that people need to take action on injustice in the world. Likewise, Nelson Mandela also utilizes several writing techniques in his 100 Days Speech to communicate that although progress has been made to rebuild and reconcile from past injustice, steps are still needed to be taken in order to improve society and ensure that horrific crimes and injustices do not occur in the future. Writing techniques these authors made use of to communicate these messages included persuasive techniques such as Pathos, Ethos, and Logos.

In Night by Elie Wiesel, there are several

These withered bodies had long forgotten the bitter taste of tears” (Wiesel, 63). Elie Wiesel uses this quote to appeal to the reader’s sympathy by communicating the inhumane life inside a concentration camp and the hopeless state of the prisoners. This quote also communicates Elie Wiesel’s reliability as someone who witnessed and experienced the horrific topics discussed in the memoir. Both appeals relate to the main purpose in how horrific events that result in horrors just as Elie Wiesel describes should never happen again, and therefore need to be fought against and addressed. Another usage of pathos Elie Wiesel utilizes is when describing the prisoners’ reaction to witnessing the hangings of the 2 men and the child, where states, “‘For God’s sake, where is God?’ And from within me, I heard a voice answer: ‘Where He is? This is where—-hanging here from this gal-lows…’” (Wiesel, 65). Elie Wiesel uses this quote to sympathize with not just the narrator, but also the victims of concentration camps. The quote describes the loss of hope in prisoners and their confinement filled with death. This use of pathos does not just induce sympathy and pity

When discussing the progress Nelson Mandela’s administration had made during the first 100 days since his inauguration, Nelson Mandela utilizes a breed of Ethos and Logos appeals when he says, “A hundred days after our inauguration, our overwhelming impression of our reality is that: our nation has succeeded to handle its problems with great wisdom; we have a government that has brought together bitter enemies into a constructive relationship; our parliament and cabinet have properly focused on the task of reconstruction and development; and we have a government that is in control and whose programmes are on course” (Mandela 1). In the passage, Nelson Mandela establishes that the efforts to achieve reconciliation have been made during his administration. By stating this, Nelson Mandela reinforces his authority to provide this information and to be able to promise that apartheid and discrimination will not be a problem for the country in the future. By stating this, Nelson Mandela promises to rebuild the trust of the people of his country, and of his enemies for a better future for all. Nelson Mandela uses the quote to explain the progress that has been made toward